Auxiliary release for theatrical fire-curtains.



No. 734,335. PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.

. r J. R GLANGY.

AUXILIARY RELEASE FOR THEATRIGAL FIRE CURTAINS.

; A IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII PT.Z 66666 4.

UNITED STATES Patented March 14;, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. CLANCY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,835, dated March 14, 1905.

Application filed September 26, 1904. Serial No. 225,886.

To all 1071,0771 it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. CLANoY, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Releases for Theatrical Fire-Curtains, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a full, clear, and exact description.

It has heretofore been customary to counterbalance theatrical fire-curtains, so that they would remain in any desired position without requiring its. hoisting-ropes to be fastened to a stationary holding device. This method of counter-balancing the curtain has been found objcctionable on account of the loss of time in lowering the curtain, especially in case of fire in the theater, when it becomesnecessary to drop the asbestos curtain quickly to prevent or retard the spreading of the fire from the stage to the auditorium.

Attempts have been made to overcome the defect of the aforesaid method of counterbalancing by using a counterweight which is slightly lighter than the curtain, and thus cause the said curtain to descend automatically by the preponderance of its own Weight. This arrangement, however, requires the operating-ropes to be fastened when the curtain is raised, which fastening is usually accomplished by means of a clutch; but as this clutch must be released by hand when it is desired to drop the curtain the said movement of the curtain is delayed by the time consumed in releasing the aforesaid clutch. The aforesaid preponderance of the weight of the curtain is also objectionable on account of the labor required to raise the curtain.

The object of this invention is to overcome the aforesaid defects and at the same time insure quick dropping of the curtain in case of emergency; and to that end the invention consists, essentially, in the combination, with the drop-curtain, of a primary counterweight predominated by the. weight of the curtain and an auxiliary counterweight applied by means of a frail connection destructible by fire, as hereinafter more fully explained.

The annexed drawing illustrates a drop-curtain equipped with my invention.

A represents an asbestos drop-curtain,

which is suspended by ropes a (a a, traversing overhead sheaves b, from which they extend to and traverse pulleys 0 and have connected to their free ends the primary counterweight (Z in the usual manner. In my present invention I employ a primary counterweight which is somewhat'lighter than the curtain to merely assist the flyman in raising the curtain and to allow the curtain to drop automatically by its own weight. cl represents a box in which the said counterweight is guided.

e a 0 denote chains which are connected at their lower ends to the top of the drop-curtain A and fastened at their upper ends to the front wall of the stage. Said chains serve to posi tively arrest the descent of the curtain beneath its proper lowered position.

f represents the rope, which is operated by the flyman and which runs on pulleys t' b above and below the stage and is connected at each end to the primary counterweight (Z.

To retain the curtain in its raised position without fastening the operating-rope f, 1 cmploy an auxiliary counterweight D, suitably applied to the curtain-lifting devices, preferably to the primary counterweight (Z, by means of a frail or easily-separated connection consisting of a safety-line 'g, formed of cotton or other suitable material which is easily cut and is covered or saturated with inflammable substance, and thus easily destroyed by exposure to lire or intense heat. The rupture of said safetyline-relieves the curtain A from the auxiliary counterweight l), and thus causes said curtain to drop automatically by its own gravity in case of lire in the theater. Said dropped curtain presents a barrier to the spreading of the lire from the stage to the au ditorium.

1 preferably extend the safety-line 1 across the stage at a proper distance above the floor and beneath the floor and up and down the sides of the stage to increase the cliicicncy of said safety-line.

I do not limit myself to any specific arrangement of the extension of the safety-line g, inasmuch as it may be arranged in various circuitous directions to reach places liable to be exposed to lire in the theater.

TV hat I claim is- 1. The combination, with the d rop-curtain, of a primary counterweight preponderated by I O forth.

8. The combination, with the drop-curtain,

of a primary counterweight preponderated by the curtain, an auxiliary counterweight applied by means of a frail material destructible by heat or flame and extended in a circuitous direction from the primary counterweight, as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN R. CLANCY.

WVitnesses:

L. H. FULMER, J. J. LAASS. 

